Falling
by oreocheesecakes
Summary: Falling for your best friend was actually simple, but falling for the Avatar was and would never be an easy ride. A Kataang Valentine's Day oneshot.


**A/N: AAANNDD this didn't turn out to be a drabble. My writer feels are kinda tired but yay I wrote something for Valentine's!**

**Also I was writing this while listening to "Thinking Out Loud" because I'm trash  
But this was fun to write! And fluffy! Initially prompted by httydatlalok (I'll say what your prompt was at the end because it would be a spoiler :P), but I think it also fits in with firelordizumi's prompt (Commitment) and ****one of obbessedturtle's (Falling). Thanks for the prompts, guys! I appreciate them a lot! ^_^ ****Also for the Supreme secretsecrettunnel**

**Hope you guys like it! And Happy Valentine's Day!**

**I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

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Katara sighed, both exhausted and irritated. The party was suffocating.

But then again, what party wasn't? Team Avatar never failed to grab the opportunity to reunite and have fun, but events like these were just politics, social climbers trying to get close to the "world's heroes", and girls fawning over her boyfriend.

Pretty, made up, rich girls dressed in frilly gowns and wearing the kind of jewelry that made your knees shake just thinking of how much they cost.

She watched from her table as Aang tried to pry himself from the girls around him. She was too tired and fed up to be jealous anymore. The only way to probably—and permanently—get those fangirls off his trail was for them to get engaged—scratch that, they probably would have to be married with kids.

She blushed at her train of thought, but she couldn't deny that it had crossed her mind from time to time. Or that she wanted it.

She was twenty, and he was eighteen. They were both legal adults, and she was already well past the age of betrothal by Water Tribe standards. She didn't doubt his love for her, and she knew they were going to end up together for the rest of their lives in one way or another, but taking that big step was something they had been too busy for, what with Republic City and rebuilding the Southern Water Tribe.

Still, she wondered when they would finally get to it—Sokka and Suki got married a year ago, and the Fire Lady officially took her place only two years after the war ended. She and Aang … well …

"Hey." She looked up and found herself staring into silver eyes, reading the usual apology in them. She didn't say anything; she wasn't mad at him—there was nothing hard about dating Aang, just dating the Avatar.

He looked a little drained, probably from shaking everyone off his trail. Katara knew he didn't enjoy it either, but he wouldn't be able to understand how being pushed to the sidelines and shrugged off as unimportant felt like. He was the freaking savior of the world—everyone wanted to meet him.

"This night isn't turning out like I planned," he remarked sadly.

"What's new?" she mumbled, averting her eyes.

There was a pause. "I think we can still fix things, though."

She glanced back at him, and saw that he was offering her his hand. He was wearing a hopeful grin, obviously excited about something.

She cracked a smile—she could never let down that face.

She took his hand, and he helped her up into a standing position.

"Follow me!" Being the airbender that he was, he weaved them through the crowd effortlessly—a leaf in the wind, Katara remembered him describing the motion once.

She followed him, unsure of where this was going, but trusting him all the same. They moved farther and farther away from the party, the music and chatter fading with the distance.

It wasn't long before they found themselves in the palace gardens, which was quiet, save for a few birds and crickets. Gold lanterns hung from the treetops, their light reflecting majestically on the pond of lilies beside them. It mixed softly with the silver from the moon and stars, painting everything in a surreal glow.

"Think we'll be safe here?" Aang asked.

She took in the beauty of the scene around them, the lack of distractions, the lack of people. She grinned, kissing his cheek. "You didn't have to."

"Mmm, yeah I did."

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "You had this planned, didn't you?"

"Not exactly." He grinned. "If everything went according to plan, this would've happened a bit earlier this evening." Still holding her hand, he spun her around skillfully, and before she knew it, she was in his arms and gazing into bright gray. "Want to dance?"

Heat rose into her cheeks and she nodded. "Well, look who's gotten smoother."

He smirked, and they started swaying slowly to the rhythm of their beating hearts.

They danced like that contentedly for a while, just enjoying the feeling of being with each other. Under the moonlight, she couldn't help but notice how dashing Aang looked—puberty had certainly done him good. Gone was the boyish roundness of his face, replaced with more chiseled features. He even had a certain handsomeness to him now—Katara could see why so many girls were smitten with him. Still, the playful glint in his eyes had never disappeared—the constant reminder that he was and will always be the kid who asked her to go penguin sledding with him. That was a part of Aang that would always be hers, a moment in time that would always be theirs.

Suddenly, she could care less about the fangirls.

"I love you, you know?" Aang said, interrupting her thoughts. Contrary to the easygoing expression she was expecting, he had a serious and earnest expression on his face.

"Yeah, I know," she smiled up at him. "I love you, too."

He spun her around a few times and when he caught her again, she was surprised to find that this time, he was clasping both of her hands instead of keeping one on her waist,.

Even more puzzling, however, was that she felt something in between their hands.

"What …" She let go and pulled her hand away, gasping when she saw what was in it.

A simple necklace rested in her hand, its pendant a disc with the air and water symbols hand carved on it. Its string was much longer than the usual betrothal necklaces she had seen, and her free hand flew up to the one wrapped tightly around her neck, realizing that he had made it this way so she needn't take her mother's off.

"Aang … " Her throat felt tight, and she blinked back the tears that threatened to overflow.

"Katara." He said her name with so much love, and she raised her gaze to meet his. "I love you; I have for six years, and I will for the rest of my life. You're my best friend, and you've always been there for me, whatever's happened. Ever since you freed me from the iceberg, I've always known that you were strong and kind and brave and the most beautiful woman I've ever set my eyes on. Most importantly, you're the reason I'm even here standing in front of you at all."

Katara bit her lip at the split-second image of Aang's lifeless body in her hands, but she shook out the memory as quickly as possible.

"I want a life with you, Katara," he continued. "I want everything—I want you to be the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning, I want you to yell at me and send me on wild goose chases when you're pregnant, I want to stay up all night with you trying to get our kids to stop crying." He paused, and Katara could see that there were tears in his eyes, too. "I want to start each day knowing that at the end of it, I'll get to come home to you."

"I want that, too," she whispered.

He flashed her a quick smile, but it was easy to see the nervousness in his expression. "I want nothing more than to be with you, and to make you as happy as you make me. So I'm asking you—and it's a request, you know," he hurriedly added, making the master waterbender smile. She couldn't understand why he still doubted, but his uncertainty was definitely endearing.

He took a deep breath. "Katara, will you marry me?"

Instead of answering, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him roughly to her, kissing him passionately. He returned it with the same intensity, and when they pulled away, it was only to breathe.

"Of course," she whispered to him. Their foreheads were still touching, and she gazed lovingly into the argentine eyes she sometimes knew even better than her own. "Of course I'll marry you, Aang."

She was pretty sure she had never seen a wider grin on his face before.

It was gone in a moment, however, because he was kissing her again, running his hands through her hair, gently tracing her cheek—

Katara smiled, letting the pure bliss wash over her. Falling for your best friend was actually simple, but falling for the Avatar was and would never be an easy ride. With Aang, though, Katara was sure that each step of the way was definitely and absolutely worth it.

* * *

httydatlalok asked for a proposal xD I hope I did it justice!


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